A look back at the penalty kick in the Sounders’ 4-0 win

The main play in question was the buildup to Seattle’s penalty kick, which Lamar Neagle drew by poking the ball away from goalkeeper Jeff Attinella on a 50-50 challenge and then getting knocked over by defender Aaron Maund.

Needless to say, it was a controversial call.

Here is how Neagle saw it:

“I thought it was a penalty — definitely,” the Federal Way native said. “(Maund and I) had like a little scuffle at the top of the box, and then the ball squirted out from the goalie’s hands. I got a little touch to it. I saw him coming and I knew he was angry, so I just stepped in front of the ball and stopped, and he ran right through me. It was a pretty easy call for the ref to make.”

Seattle coach Sigi Schmid said after the game that he hadn’t seen a replay of it yet: “I just saw the guy run into Lamar, but I don’t know if it’s a PK or not.”

Some on the RSL side weren’t happy with the call from referee Ricardo Salazar.

“I don’t feel like it was a PK,” said coach Jeff Cassar. “Neither does Aaron.”

Cassar on PK call: “Just felt like it was a soft one. I felt like the call didn’t need to be made and it kind of changed the game.” #RSL

Here was Attinella’s perspective: “I came out, called Tony (Beltran) off of it, though I had it and then next thing I know I didn’t. I tried to scramble and find the ball. I thought Aaron did a good job of going shoulder to shoulder with him, but obviously the ref thought differently and it definitely changed the game. It is what it is; you can’t leave it up to a call. Maybe I should have gone through him, but I thought I had the ball.”

Then, of course, there was RSL defender Nat Borchers.

"I think the ref felt he wronged Seattle many times, and he had to make it right tonight." — Nat Borchers, just now. #RSL